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“I like the Arts and Culture section! It’s a treat for when I’m home.” He sips his coffee, looking surprisingly peaceful.
My phone buzzes; it’s Allison.
Al: Coffee at like 2 today? Should I pick you up at your mom’s?
Me: 2 sounds great. I don’t need a ride. I’m in Laurel Canyon with Vince. I’ll meet you wherever!
Al: OH.
Al: MY.
Al: FUCKING.
Al: GOD.
Al: CAN I MEET HIM?
“Who’s blowing up your phone?”
“It’s Al. We’re getting coffee today. She, uh, wants to meet you.”
“Well, that makes two of us! I was going to ask when I got to meet the famous Allison!”
“I figured you would meet her at Thanksgiving.”
“But she’s here now, c’mon!”
Me: Sure. He wants to meet you, too!
Al: No way! He asked for me?
Me: Yeah. TBH, I might regret this.
Al: We’re the two great forces of chaos in your life :-)
“She says you and her are the two great forces of chaos in my life,” I tell Vince.
“Exactly, that’s why it’s imperative that I meet her.”
“Did you learn a new word?”
“Yeah. From the crossword, see?” He shuffles the paper in my direction.
I laugh and kiss his cheek. “You’re full of surprises. I’m gonna get ready, and then we can walk Violet.”
“Excellent! She wants to show you the neighborhood.”
“Does she now?”
“Yeah, she told me this morning.”
I laugh as I get up and toss my empty bowl and mug into the sink.
Vince’s bathroom looks like a one-person spa, all Italian marble with a waterfall shower and a vast bathroom counter. I dig through my suitcase and find my face wash, a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
The shower feels like heaven after months of subpar water pressure. I take my time, washing my hair with his mint-scented shampoo that I’ve grown to love. To my surprise, there’s a half-empty jar of a sugar scrub that one of his exes must have left behind. I sniff it; it smells like mimosa flowers or oranges, something with citrus. I rub an experimental glob along my thigh, and it sloughs away the dead skin.
For a moment, I feel insecure. Will I be another ex, reduced to random trinkets around his house? I push the thought out of my head and focus on conditioning my hair with a bottle of leftover hotel conditioner I packed; why I forgot shampoo and body wash is beyond me.
